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Introduction

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From 1925 until 1979 Iran was ruled by two shahs of the Pahlavi Dynasty. Shah was the old title of the kings of Persia (now Iran), and, when expanded into shahanshah, it means “king of kings.” The two Pahlavi kings were Reza Shah Pahlavi and his son, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. The reign of the Pahlavis ended in 1979, when Islamic fundamentalists led by the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini took over the government and established an Islamic republic.

Reza Shah Pahlavi

(1878–1944). He was born Reza Khan on March 16, 1878, in Alasht, Iran. His ancestors had been chiefs of a clan named Pahlevan after the ancient Persian language Pahlavi. He grew up in Tehran, where he joined an Iranian military unit as a private. He made the army his career and gradually worked his way up in the ranks.

The ruler of Iran was Ahmad Shah of the Qajar Dynasty, a young, incompetent leader who perpetuated the misrule that Iran had become accustomed to for centuries. During World War I the country was ravaged by fighting and internal strife to such an extent that it almost disintegrated. A strong spirit of nationalism emerged after the war, especially in the armed forces. On February 21, 1921, Reza Khan led a military coup that occupied the capital, and he soon became minister of war. Within two years he had sufficiently consolidated his power to become prime minister. The shah, meanwhile, was in Switzerland recovering from an illness. In 1925, when he refused to return to Iran, the Majles (parliament) deposed him and named Reza Khan as shah. His coronation took place in April 1926.

Reza Shah continued the radical reforms he had instituted while prime minister. He disarmed the Iranian tribes, emancipated women, built the Trans-Iranian Railway, and revitalized the country’s finances. His power was undone by his foreign policy. Prior to World War II, he played off Great Britain and the Soviet Union against each other, since both had interests in the region. When they united to fight Germany in 1941, they occupied Iran. Reza Shah abdicated and named his son Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as his heir. The British government exiled Reza Shah to Johannesburg, South Africa, where he died on July 26, 1944.

Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi

(1919–80). Mohammad Reza was born in Tehran on October 26, 1919, the eldest son of Reza Khan. He received his schooling in Switzerland, returning home in 1935. He replaced his father on the throne on September 16, 1941, shortly before his 22nd birthday. He continued the reform policies of his father, but a contest for control of the government soon erupted between the shah and an older professional politician named Mohammad Mosaddeq. Mosaddeq obtained passage of a bill to nationalize British petroleum interests. As Mosaddeq’s popularity grew the shah was forced to name him prime minister. When the shah tried to dismiss him in August 1953, Mohammad Reza himself was forced to flee Iran for a few days. A sudden coup, covertly supported by the United States and the United Kingdom, overthrew Mosaddeq and brought back the shah, who launched a massive development program to modernize the economy.

In spite of his reforms, the shah’s rule was criticized as corrupt and oppressive. Savak, his secret police, arrested and imprisoned thousands of dissidents. The most serious opposition came from Islamic fundamentalists. The shah was forced to flee Iran on January 16, 1979. He lived in Egypt, Morocco, the Bahamas, and Mexico before going to the United States for treatment of lymphatic cancer. His arrival in New York City led to the Iranian takeover of the American Embassy in Tehran and the taking hostage of more than 50 Americans for 444 days.

The shah was eventually welcomed in Cairo, Egypt, where he died on July 27, 1980. His son Reza (born 1960) is heir to the throne, though restoration of the monarchy is unlikely.

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